y the yells of
their drivers, the little pairs tore on, there suddenly seemed to spring
up out of the darkness ahead a confused crowd of mounted men; and then
there was a shock, and Marcus felt his car leap forward on its wheels,
rising on one side as if to overturn, but coming down level directly and
bounding oh again at the heels of his excited steeds.

He could not see to right or left, but he was conscious that there were
other chariots tearing on beside him, and there was another shock, and
another, mingled with yells and cries, and then they were racing on
again apparently being hunted by a body of horse, and it seemed to the
boy as if his and his fellow chariots were in full flight.

But just then there were the faint notes of a trumpet, and, as they tore
on, the line of chariots swung round as upon a pivot and began to tear
back.

And now it seemed to Marcus that the horsemen who had been pursuing them
were taking flight in turn, and, as he realised this, the boy shouted to
his driver to drive more swiftly.

"No, no!" yelled Serge, furiously. "Steady! Steady! And keep in
line."

"But they will get away!" cried the boy, mad now with excitement.

"Bah! You don't understand," cried Serge. "Those are our horsemen."

Another trumpet brayed out and the cavalry in front of the chariots
swung round to right and left, making an opening through which they
passed, slackening their speed, but careering on till Marcus made out a
solid body of infantry on his right front.

A minute later the chariots had wheeled round again in the infantry's
rear, and in the distance there was, dying away, the sound of hoofs.

"Well, boy, what do you think of that?" said a voice in Marcus' ear.

"I--I don't know," panted Marcus, as short of breath as if he had been
running hard. "I don't think I understand."

"Ha, ha!" laughed Serge, hoarsely. "I don't suppose you do. I don't
quite myself, but I should think that was a big body of the Gallic horse
who came down thinking to surprise us and to snuff us out. But they
found out their mistake."

"And where are they now?" panted Marcus.

"Oh, far away. You can just hear them in the distance. They have gone
off beaten, with their tails between their legs. Couldn't you feel how
we cut them up?"

"Cut them up!" said Marcus.

"Yes. Don't you remember how we tore through them, crash into their
midst, after they were broken from their charge upon our infantry, which
stood